The gift of faith for Christians

Fr. Jack Peterson

8/24/18

Gospel Commentary Jn 6:60-69

Faith is a gift. We must return to this reality over and over as
Christians. When St. Peter professed his faith in Jesus as “the Christ, the Son
of the living God,” Our Lord testified that this revelation was the fruit of a
grace: “For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly
Father” (Mt 16:17).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “Faith is a gift of
God, a supernatural virtue infused by him” (CCC 153). Dei
Verbum, one of the important documents that came from Vatican II,
states: “Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to
move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who
moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and
‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth” (DV No. 5).

At the same time, faith is also a fully human act. Faith is a
decision of the will to embrace in love the God who comes to us and to accept
the truths he reveals about himself and about his plans for his children. St.
Thomas Aquinas defines faith in this way: “Believing is an act of the intellect
assenting to the divine truth by command of the will moved by God through
grace” (Sth II-II, 2, 9).

In our first reading for today, Joshua extends a strong challenge
to the tribes of Israel along with their elders, judges and officers. He
demands that they make a choice in freedom: “If it does not please you to serve
the Lord, decide today whom you will serve, the gods your fathers served beyond
the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose country you are now dwelling. As
for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

The Gospel passage for the 21st Sunday, Year B, includes the end
of the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel, which states: “As a result of
this (discourse), many of his disciples returned to their former way of life
and no longer accompanied him.” This departure must have been extraordinarily
painful for Jesus and his Apostles.

Certain truths of our Christian faith, including the Eucharist,
are not easy to embrace at the start of our faith journey. Faith in Jesus
demands an abundance of grace. It also
demands a growing love for him as well as the related gift of trust. Trust
opens our hearts to the truths of our faith that are difficult to understand
using one’s reason alone. Our Lord’s teachings on the Eucharist, spelled out in
the Bread of Life discourse, clearly fit into this category of truths revealed
to us by Jesus.

It needs to be noted that Jesus does not retract what he has said
or go running after the departing disciples in order to soften the message he
just taught them. He allows them to go. He respects the gift of free will that he
has given to every human being. He never forces faith on anyone.

Then, Jesus turns to the Apostles and poses a tough question: “Do
you also want to leave?” Simon responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you
are the Holy One of God.”

While the faith of Peter and the Apostles was growing and
developing, they were beginning to recognize that Jesus had wisdom not found
anywhere else on the earth and exercised various powers not seen among men,
such as walking on water, healing the blind and forgiving sinners.

At Mass this week, beg God for an increase in faith. Pray for the
courage to respond generously to God’s offer to believe, even if it does not
come easily to you.